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Kalyn Brooke

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Not Your Typical Financial Journey {Part 3}

December 7 // 6 Comments // 2 Minute Read

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If you missed the first two parts of this series, you can go back and read how I was brought up to be a frugal girl, and our high-flying first year of marriage.

After 2 years of wedded bliss, I graduated from college. My feet would not touch the ground – I had an education now, which meant I could get any job I wanted. Not.

The following Fall was a humbling experience for me. I “tried” to be content at my banking position, but it’s not like I was moving up the promotion line anytime soon. I had to find something that would use my brains, my creativity, and give my entrepreneurship streak a run for it’s money.

It gets complicated

After a few too many episodes of Cake Boss, I decided to take all the cake decorating classes at Michaels Arts & Crafts. I loved it, and thought I did a fairly decent job, so, I had to try my hand at making money with it.

Lest I bore you with my cake business successes and fails, the endgame was this: I couldn’t sustain the business in a depressed part of New York, with lots of red tape and no dish washer in sight except for my husband and I. Do you know how greasy frosting is?

Anyway, let’s just say the price point of what my product was worth, and the price point of what customers were willing to pay, didn’t meet up. And it left me burnt out and exhausted. I don’t even think I’ve picked up a piping instrument in about a year. Yes, that bad.

So, in the meantime, I had to find something else that worked.

I dabbled in medical transcription, a payroll business, Etsy….really, I was desperate and could not sit still. I wanted to use my degree and I wanted to own my own business!

Time for a new idea

Joseph and I had just started looking at houses, when a brilliant thought formed in my insanely overactive mind. Why couldn’t we buy a duplex, rent out one half, and become landlords?

Immediately, a Barnes & Noble trip was in order. I scoured the Real Estate Investment section and typed out titles on my phone, so I could order them from Amazon later at a cheaper price. Is that bad?

After a lot of research and prayer, I finally convinced my husband that we could do this. Not only would it help our first mortgage, it could potentially be our answer to an alternative retirement plan.

That is, if we enjoyed it.

—

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Comments

  1. Mandy says

    November 29 at 9:22 pm

    Oh my goodness, girl! You seriously have dabbled in it all! What other business ventures have you had that I don’t know about yet?

    Reply
    • KalynBrooke says

      November 30 at 12:40 pm

      Lol – I used to be really embarrassed talking about it because I thought that meant I was a failure if it didn’t work out. But now I know that experience teaches us what we don’t like, and they were really good skills for me to learn, or at least try.

      Reply
  2. Trina Holden says

    November 30 at 4:45 pm

    Ohh, I love a good story-series. And I love your writing voice. I’ll be back for more!

    Reply
    • KalynBrooke says

      November 30 at 6:49 pm

      Thanks, Trina!

      Reply
  3. Jax says

    June 16 at 7:08 am

    Haha….you are awesome! I say this because I also have dabbled in it all, the same stuff….real estate, home staging, interior design, Marykay, Amway, and last but not least, I am currently in Nursing School (RN) part time, very part time because my full-time job is working for a financial bank on Wall St….I know, I’m a head case! It keeps my ADHD under control! 🙂

    Reply
    • Kalyn Brooke says

      June 16 at 3:13 pm

      It definitely keeps us from getting bored! 🙂

      Reply

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Hi, I’m Kalyn—a recovering perfectionist who nerds out about organizing systems, personal productivity, and helping you prioritize what matters over the pressure to do it all. I have a feeling we’re about to become the best of friends! Learn more >>

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👩‍💻 | I help value-driven women lead manageable + meaningful lives.
💬 | INFJ / Enneagram 1
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What’s one thing you budget for that other peopl
What’s one thing you budget for that other people might not? I always find those interesting. 😃⁣ ⁣ You might have a mortgage. I budget for campgrounds. You might want a separate clothing budget, while I’m fine combining it under “Beauty and Style.” Recently, we also added a new line item for our motorcycle—something I NEVER thought would appear in our budget. ⁣ ⁣ See, we’re all different! ⁣ ⁣ Recently, I rearranged my budget categories and created this “cheat sheet.” Sometimes I forget where things go, like picking up new wall art for the living room. Does this item belong in the categories of Household Items or Home Maintenance? 🤔⁣ ⁣ Now I know! And I save time processing receipts each Friday. 🧾⁣ ⁣ What budgeting categories do you use? Share one of your random budget line items with me in the comments below! 😃

I call 2020 the Year of Abandoned Books. ⁣
⁣
I

I call 2020 the Year of Abandoned Books. ⁣ ⁣ I’m never afraid to stop reading a book if it doesn’t live up to the hype. Why invest more time in a book I’m not all that excited about when I could be exploring new authors and storylines where I can’t wait to turn the page? 🤷⁣ ⁣ But in 2020, I let more books go than I normally do. I suppose my patience dwindled when I thought the world was ending. Not that I thought the world was actually ending…but you know what I mean. 😉⁣ ⁣ As an Enneagram 1, I hate giving up on a book. I’m prone to the all-or-nothing mentality, even in my reading habits. My eyes could glaze over boring prose and I’d still repeat to myself: “You MUST finish this book!” 😫⁣ ⁣ Why? ⁣ ⁣ No one is adding a plastic star to your Book-It pin, (Remember those?) This isn’t assigned reading from your high school English class. This is YOUR reading life. ⁣ ⁣ And YOU should choose what books deserve your attention. 📚⁣ ⁣ There are too many good ones out there anyway. Like one of my favorite reads from 2020. 😍⁣ ⁣ This week’s newest blog post rounds up everything I read last year (43 books total!) including 5-star psychological thrillers, a delightful royal series, a couple self-help books, and of course, historical fiction.⁣ ⁣ Click the link in my bio to read it! ☝⁣ ⁣ What were your favorite books in 2020? Our literary styles might be a match made in heaven! ✨

My planner/journal lineup for 2021. 👆 ⁣
⁣
T

My planner/journal lineup for 2021. 👆 ⁣ ⁣ These small but mighty sidekicks will be my saving grace this year. 📚⁣ ⁣ 1️⃣ Bullet Journal (Blue) - for everyday planning and goal setting⁣ 2️⃣ Regular Journal (Yellow) - to track gratitude (5 things a day!) and to process ALL the feelings⁣ 3️⃣ Growth Journal (Sand) - a space for me to brain dump everything I learn from books, podcasts, sermons, etc ⁣ ⁣ That last one is new to me as of this year and I can't wait to flip back through all my notes come December! 📆⁣ ⁣ What planners/journals are you using for 2021?

Self-care is just as important as making your famo
Self-care is just as important as making your famous sugar cookies this holiday season. 🍪⁣ ⁣ Because let’s be real. ⁣ ⁣ That Hallmark-esque Christmas magic disappears the moment disagreeable family members annoy you. Or when you feel irritable over too many late nights and little-to-no sleep. Or when expectations over meals and traditions and social activities fall short and leave you feeling disappointed. 😬⁣ ⁣ But instead of dwelling on these stressful moments and using them as an excuse to completely disconnect from reality (as I’m often tempted to do!), view them as an opportunity for you to respond with poise. 💞⁣ ⁣ ➕ Journal your feelings. ⁣ ➕ Go for a walk. ⁣ ➕ Prioritize what’s essential. ⁣ ➕ Remember to breathe.⁣ ➕ And try not to eat your feelings…okay?⁣ ⁣ Here’s your permission slip if you need one: You don’t need to do or participate in everything! Take a time out when you need it. 🙌⁣ ⁣ That’s the best way you can protect your emotional well-being over the next few days.⁣ ⁣ Merry Christmas, friends! 🎄


I know you’re ready for this year to be over. 🙋‍♀️ The last twelve months brought so many hard things into our lives—relationships were lost, our country became more broken and divided than ever, and oh yeah, we walked through a pandemic too. 🦠 🤯 No biggie, right? Ha! 😅 And while it’s easy to look back and wish we could skip 2020 altogether (or at least insist on a do-over), I don’t want this year to be the one where the hard overcame the good. 💕 Just as hard days don’t mean ruined days, hard years don’t mean ruined years. 2020 can still be good. 💪 For me, I want to remember the fun and exciting things we did. The adventures we had. The new shows we watched, and the books we read. The new life hacks and things I discovered that made my life easier or just brought me joy. 💞 You’ll find it all in my latest blog post (link in profile). If you still need to buy a gift for a loved one (or for yourself!), you’ll find plenty of fun and affordable ideas to fill up the rest of your gifting list. 📦 Otherwise, enjoy a stroll down the good side of 2020’s memory lane and leave your favorite things in the comments so I can try them. 👋


Pro minimalism tip: Use double-duty appliances. 🤯⁣ ⁣ With limited kitchen space, I have to be super careful about what appliances we invite into the RV. We already had an Instant Pot, Ninja Blender, and a Food Processor. But I really wanted an air-fryer! ⁣ ⁣ With no place to put it, I discovered that Instant Pot made a dual instant pot/air-fryer product. So I gave my instant pot away, and my mom bought me this one for an early Christmas present. I’ve only played with it a couple of times but I’m already in love! 💕⁣ ⁣ Kale chips...sweet potato fries...broccoli. I’m basically an air-frying queen now. And I can easily switch back to the instant pot whenever I want. Yay for two appliances in one! 🥳⁣ ⁣ Q: What is your favorite appliance to use? Is it double duty? 🤔


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